The Portland daily press., 1887-01-20

tended to faraSs ana em5arra5s American
fishing and other vessels, and t. i,na.e i ). I'M
practicable for them to enjoy their treaty
and other common rights, such legislation
would have been perfectly adopted TO that
end"
treaties and rights conferred the report says
From the investigation made by the commit
tee during last summer and all, and as re-
suit Of the great mass of testimony taken Oy
1t. and herewith returned, the committee
believe 1t TO be clear BEYOND all dispute that
the right to fish within the three mile limit OF
the Dominion shores is OF no praetlcal ad-
vantage whatever TO American fishermen.
The cod and halibut fishing has been for
many years almost entirely carried on at
long distances from the shores, in deep. wa
ters, on the banks, etc, and II Is believed
that were there not liberty for Americans 30
fish without restriction or regulation OF any
kind within three miles Of the Dominion
shores no such fishermen would ever think
of going there for the purpose Of catching
cod or halibut.
As regards the obtaining Of bait
taken shows there Is no necessity
for it claim, bait is found in immense guam
titles in our own waters, and there have been
Instances so frequent and continuous as TO
amount to habit Of the Canadians them
selves resorting TO American waters or ports
which is found on the very banks where fish
ing goes on, so that instances would be ex-
xtremely rare when any American fishing
vessel would wish to resort to a Dominion
port for the purpose Of buying bait for this
kind of fishing.
In respect to the mackerel fishery the COM
mittee finds, as will be seen from the evil
dence referred TO, that its course and meth
DDS done OF late years have entirely changed.
While IL used to be carried ON the vessels
Eal md
near shores, it is now almost entirely carried
on by use of immense seines Of great length,
and decending many .fathOms into water.
This way Is very expensive ana fish
ing vessels do NOS usually carry
more than one or two. The danger Of fishing
near the shore with such seines is so great
on account of striking rocks and reefs that II
is regarded as extremely hazardous TO under
take It, Besides this, large schools Of mack
erel are almost always found more than
three miles from land, either in the great
bays or CULTS or entirely out at sea.
There is also evidence that in general the
fisheries by Americans In the Gulf Of St.
Lawrence and in the Bay Of Chaleur have
not been remuneratlVe.
In view of all these facts it must be con-
Sidefed as c0nelusiYely established that there
would be no material value whatever in the
grant by the British government TO Ameri-
can fishermen Of absolute free fishing, and in
this conclusion it will be seen by reference
to testimony that all these interests fully
concur. 1t Is Of course desirable, the COM
mlttee say, to maintain friendly commercial
and business interc0urses with the DOmi-
,nion, but there should be Legislative regula-
ton mutually reasonable and fairly estab-
lished. Such legislation 10 be tolerable
must be mutually friendly and reciprocal,
and laws upon the subject must be admins
tered falrly and generously, and not in
spirit OF carpingness or in any other un-
friendly way. The committee is pained 10
believe that such has not been the course Of
British legislation or Of administrative prae-
tices